We’ve posted about the handstand push up (HSPU) many times in the last two years, but it’s time to revisit this movement. Part skill and part strength, the HSPU has a few pre-requisites: the ability to kick up into a handstand, the ability to support body weight, the ability to maintain hollow position upside down, and the ability to press up from the floor. However, unless you’re doing HSPUs with your hands on parallettes, you don’t have to be able to shoulder press your full body weight in order to perform one. The range of motion required for a standard CrossFit HSPU is to touch the top of your head to the floor and press out to full extension.

Lets go over the progressions:

1. The Handstand Hold: You want to build the ability to hold a handstand against a wall for at least 15 seconds (more is better). Practice kicking up softly and finding a solid hollow position. Your shoulders are active and you are squeezing your glutes, quads, calves, and pointing your toes.

2. The Negative: Practice kicking up into a handstand and lowering yourself slowly until your head touches the ground, and kick down. Start by practicing negatives on an abmat until you are consistent and not crashing on your head. *Note: just because your head touches the ground does not mean you can relax your arms and make your neck support your weight! Add 3 second pauses to various points of your negative as you progress.

3. The Partial Press: Not to be abused, partial presses are great building blocks to gain full range of motion. Kick up into a handstand and lower a few inches and press out. Repeat this and increase the depth each time. Use an abmat or doubled over yoga mat always with the end goal of not needing your ‘binky’ in future WODs.

4. The Band-Assisted: This progression is a double edged sword. On one hand, it allows you to fully work the range of motion and allows you to try to find a good hollow position while supported on the bands. However, it also allows for you to cheat it by not staying tight. Often times, these band assisted HSPUs end up looking like an elevated push up when you allow your body to lean. Also a binky to kiss goodbye.

5. Handstand Push Up w/Kip: This is a full range of motion HSPU, but you allow your legs to tuck slightly and kick up, creating momentum to press out of the hole. This is a great assistance move, but not to be relied on as your standard HSPU. Often times, CrossFit competitions do not allow kips as a standard.

6. HSPU: This is where you have arrived at doing Diane, JT, and Nate as Rx’d. They may not look perfect and your body may not be in a perfect hollow, but they get better and better with time.

7. HSPU facing the wall: This is the next step for those looking to get freestanding HSPUs.

8. Advanced technique videos:

Here are some of our past posts if you want more details!
Gymnastics Resources
July Challenge Tips
HSPU Tips
Learning the Handstand

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WOD 04.19.11

Handstand Push Up Skillwork

Back Squat 3×5 or Wendler

3 Rounds:
50 Squats
7 Muscle Ups (sub 3 pull ups/3 dips)
10 Hang Power Cleans